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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · staff · tube · squash · band · drill · coach · lean

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. drill — army training
  3. band — a music group
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lean — to bend
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. march — the month
  11. drill — the tool
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. march — music
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lean — thin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com